The Dodo Archive

A wolf, a wallaby and
an axolotl among animals rescued in the UK last year

Workers at The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), a UK organisation, probably weren't expecting to rescue anything more exotic than a badger when they first joined the charity.

However, recent stats from the RSPCA show that in 2014 a number of unusual creatures were among the 127,321 animals it rescued last year.

These creatures included: an axolotl (a Mexican salamander or 'walking fish' for those who are confused), marmosets, a wolf, an emu, a wallaby, a zebra finch, stick insects and a praying mantis.

A panther chameleon also featured among the RSPCA's rescues after it fell out of a tree having been missing for two months.

RSPCA animal welfare officer Jo Blackburn rushed the lizard to a vet, after calls from members of the public, so he could be brought up to the correct temperature for a tropical lizard.

Blackburn said: "In all the time I have worked for the RSPCA I have never come across one of these before.

"In the wild these reptiles are tree dwellers so it is normal behaviour that he would've climbed up the tree – it's obviously just very unusual that that tree was in the middle of Southampton."

Luckily the vet was successful and the colourful creature was reunited with its owner.

RSPCA assistant director Dermot Murphy noted that sadly 2014 had seen a rise in the number of animals "callously abandoned".

"If people have pets they cannot care for, for any reason, then help and advice is always available from the RSPCA," he said.